▪	RELEASED BY:		FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT
		▪	ASPECT RATIO:		16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN
		▪	AUDIO:		ENGLISH AND JAPANESE  DD 2.0
		▪	RUNNING TIME:		100 MIN
		▪	RATING:		TV MA
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		02/26/2008
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		02/24/2008
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		HOLLY ELLINGWOOD

Ten years ago a huge war broke out where vampires fought alongside humans to face and defeat the menace of the Kowloon Children – vampires that can turn humans with merely a bite and can put other vampires under their control! Jiro, a noble blood vampire known as the Silver Sword aka the Silver Blade aka the Kin-Killer, faced a terrible loss and in his grief, retreated from the battlefield, thinking the enemy was gone. But now ten years later, he tries to get his little brother to the Special Zone, a place where vampires and humans live in peace side-by-side, only to discover the tragic events of the past are now ravaging the hopes of the future and the peace of the present. Jiro must again don the Silver Sword and be a killer in order to save and protect those he holds dear and in doing so will face his painful past and those who betrayed him.

Black Blood Brothers is a tremendous new action-packed vampire series. Based on the light novels by Kouhei Azano, the show follows Jiro in the present as he tries to get his young brother into the Special Zone only to encounter new dangers and old enemies. Although the show might seem cartoony in design at first with that hat of Jiro’s that sticks out, don’t let it fool you. BBB is a serious anime with a solid supernatural story, intense vampire intrigue and tons of action. Things go from difficult to dangerous when the Company gets involved. A military group of humans sworn to protect the Zone and keep the peace at whatever cost, some of its more zealous members have no problem with pulling the trigger and forgetting about the questions. Everyone, vampires and humans alike, are deathly afraid of the Kowloon Children, altered vampires able to do things that threaten both sides of the battle lines, alive and undead alike. They are on the move again and the arrival of Jiro only hastens their efforts as they hunger for revenge against him.

Jiro is not without friends. There is a mute princess and a fellow vampire named Crow, but they are currently far away in a sanctuary he has left. However, his trip to the Zone with his little brother Kotaro brings him into contact with other vampires wanting his aide and a young earnest woman from the Company, a Compromiser named Mimiko who is a diplomat sent to try to keep peace between the Black Bloods (vampires) and the Red Bloods (humans). She gets more than she bargained for when she gets involved with Jiro and Kotaro as her life gets catapulted into the front lines of a vendetta that goes back at least ten years and a struggle for power that has known a betrayal most foul.

The action is great and the story about Jiro will leave viewers dying to know more. The anime offers snippets of his past but never enough to quench one’s thirst about what exactly happened between Jiro, Alice and Cassa. It’s compelling stuff, filled with intriguing characters and a fantastic story.

The anime doesn’t shy away from fan favourite aspects of the vampire mythos either. They have fangs, they have cool powers, and when Mimiko gets bitten by one, obviously their bite has a sexual pull that adds an erotic dimension to the anime that was unexpected yet appreciated. Visually it’s represented superbly with great imagery. Whether it’s the fierce sensuality of being bitten, or the intense battles raging between supernatural beings, it’s well done, fast paced storytelling with appealing visuals.

The sound had some interesting surprises. The rock theme “Memories of Tomorrow” uses electric guitar and electric adrenalin pumping imagery to get the feel of the high-octane action the anime contains. The ending theme though is a soulful and haunting ballad called “Mirage” sung beautifully by Loveholic and is a mesmerizing song. The surprise was the intense beauty of the closing theme. But the other surprise is some of the English voice casting.  FUNimation is doing one of, if not arguably the best animation dubbing for English cast recently and an interesting casting choice was made with Luci Christian playing the pivotal role of Cassa. Known more for her sweet and kind characters (ranging from female to young males) this shows Luci Christian playing a sexy villainous vampire and owning it. It was a great surprise and delight to hear. The character of Cassa is one of the more mysterious and compelling out of the first volume and her ties to Jiro and the great betrayal that cost him Alice have yet to be explained but she is most definitely a large part of reason for the scars on Jiro’s non-beating heart.

EXTRAS:
Bonus features include reverse cover art, clean opening and closing animation, previews, original TV spots, and commentary on all 4 episodes by Japanese cast and crew. The first two episodes have commentary with Mikako Takahashi (Hibari) and Ryoko Nagato (Mimiko) with special guest Kouhei Azano (Creator). The next two episodes have commentary with Mikako Takahashi and Kouhei Azano joined by Kana Ueda (Swan Chen). You can get this first volume on its own or with an art box to collect the entire series.

IN SUMMARY:
A vampire action series that fans can sink their teeth into! Wicked cool action and intense story. Just what Underworld and Hellsing fans have been dying for!